Sustained sitting time in the chair and decreased physical activity further the prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in a study of middle-aged Koreans. This evidence supports the importance of decreasing time spent sitting and increasing physical activity, says researchers. The results are published in the Journal of Hepatology.

Physical activity is known to decrease the prevalence and mortality of various chronic diseases. This underscores the fact that one-half of the average person’s waking day is comprised of sedentary activities connected with prolonged sitting such as watching TV, using a computer and other devices.

No lack of activity here

Of late, attention has focused on the damaging effects of sedentary behavior in spite of additional physical activity. A growing number of epidemiologic[i] studies have suggested a connection between sedentary behavior and chronic diseases. These include obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and even death that are clearly different from those related to a lack of physical activity. This connection was seen among individuals participating in high levels of average to energetic physical activity. This association indicates frequent physical activity does not fully protect against the risks found with prolonged periods of sedentary behaviors. The connection between physical activity and NAFLD has been largely unexamined.

Just another sterling example of a cute pair of slugabeds and layabouts enjoying what is left of their marginal health.

“In the current study researchers examined the association of sitting time and physical activity level with NAFLD in Korean men and women to explore whether any observed associations was related to the amount of body fat. They studied records of nearly 140,000 Koreans who underwent a health examination between March 2011 and December 2013. Physical activity level and sitting time were assessed using the Korean version of the international Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form. The presence of fatty liver was determined using ultrasonography” (Elsevier, 2015).

Of the people studied, nearly 40,000 had NAFLD. Significantly, the investigators discovered that sustained sitting time and lack of physical activity were independently connected with increasing frequency of NAFLD. Worth noting, these connections were also seen in individuals with a body mass index (BMI) of less than 23[ii].

Seung-Ho Ryu (Konkuk University Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea)

Lead researcher Seungho Ryu, PhD, MD, of the Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea, explained, “We found that prolonged sitting time and decreased physical activity level were positively associated with the prevalence of NAFLD in a large sample of middle-aged Koreans.” Co-author

Yoosoo Chang, MD, PhD

Yoosoo Chang, MD, Ph.D., added; “Our findings suggest that both increasing participation in physical activity and reducing sitting time may be independently important in reducing the risk of NAFLD, and underlines the importance of reducing time spent sitting in addition to promoting physical activity.”

“The data from Ryu and colleagues add to the strong and alarming evidence that sitting too much and moving too little has significant negative consequences for cardio-metabolic health,” said Michael I. Trenell, PhD, Professor of Metabolism & Lifestyle Medicine at Newcastle University, UK, and an authority on how lifestyle affects lifelong health, wellbeing, and chronic disease.

“The message is clear; our chairs are slowly but surely killing us. Our body is designed to move and it is not surprising that sedentary behavior, characterized by low muscle activity, has a direct impact on physiology[iii].

With a dearth of approved drug therapies for NAFLD, lifestyle changes remain the cornerstone of clinical care. The challenge for us now is to ‘stand up’ and move for NAFLD, both physically and metaphorically,” Professor Trenell added.

Dear readers, if you have read this far, the Captain would be most heartened if you would rate this and future articles and/or leave a comment at the top of the blog posts whether positive or negative. In this way, “The Fat Bastard Gazette” may better serve you and our entire readership.

[i] Epidemiologic, adj. epidemiology the formal study of health event patterns in a population, their causes, and means of prevention.

[ii] A body mass index of 23 represents an individual of average build and average weight

[iii]Physiology aims to understand the mechanisms of living – how living things work. Human physiology studies how our cells, muscles, and organs work together.

Dear Hail-Fellows well met, “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is written and edited by your favorite curmudgeons Captain Hank Quinlan and

Flatfoot Willie, Correspondent at Large with fellow Staff Writers

Staff (monkeys in the back room). We offer an ongoing tirade to support or offend anyone of any large dimension, cultural background, religious affiliation, or color of skin. This gazette rails against an eclectic mix of circus ring ne’er do wells, big ring fatty and fatso whiners, congenital idiots, the usual motley assortment of the profoundly dumbfounded, and a favorite of intelligent men everywhere, the

May the Most Venerable H. L. Mencken bless our unworthy but earnest attempts at tongue in cheek jocularity.

All this and more always keeping our major focus on “Why so fat?” Enough said? We at “The Fat Bastard Gazette” think so. If you like what you read, and you know whom you are, in this yellow blog, tell your friends. We would be elated with an ever-wider readership. We remain cordially yours, Captain Hank Quinlan and the Monkeys in the back room

“The Fat Bastard Gazette” does not purport to offer any definitive medical or pharmaceutical advice whatsoever in any explicit or implied manner. Always consult a qualified physician in all medical or pharmaceutical matters. “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is only the opinion of informed nonprofessionals for the general edification and entertainment of the greater public.

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Tall and thin or short and stout, University of Queensland, Australia scientists have discovered a genetic platform for height and body mass differences between European populations.

Queensland Brain Institute researcher, Dr. Matthew Robinson

Queensland Brain Institute researcher, Dr. Matthew Robinson, said the research results could explain why people from northern European countries tended to typically be taller and slimmer than other Europeans are.

Fellow researcher Professor Peter Visscher stated that the genetic dissimilarities were likely to result from natural selection on height and BMI.

“The research suggests that tall nations are genetically more likely to be slim,” Professor Visscher said.

Dr. Robinson said that on average, 24 percent of the genetic variation in height, and eight percent of the genetic variation in BMI could be explained by regional differences.

“Countries’ populations differ in many ways, from the height of their people to the prevalence of certain diseases,” he said.

The research investigated height and BMI differences in 9416 people from 14 European countries. The study also used data from genome-wide association studies (GWAS).

By way of explanation, Dr. Robinson said genetic variation between countries could account for national disparities in height. However, environmental influences were the main cause of all populations BMI.

A corpulent prime minister in greasepaint eyeing a clownwich

“This suggests that differences in diet, for example, are more important than genetics in creating differences in BMI among nations.”

Dear readers, if you have read this far, the Captain would be most heartened if you would rate this and future articles and/or leave a comment at the top of the blog posts whether positive or negative. In this way, “The Fat Bastard Gazette” may better serve you and our entire readership.

Dear Hail-Fellows well met, “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is written and edited by your favorite curmudgeons Captain Hank Quinlan and

Flatfoot Willie, Correspondent at Large with fellow Staff Writers

Staff (monkeys in the back room). We offer an ongoing tirade to support or offend anyone of any large dimension, cultural background, religious affiliation, or color of skin. This gazette rails against an eclectic mix of circus ring ne’er do wells, big ring fatty and fatso whiners, congenital idiots, the usual motley assortment of the profoundly dumbfounded, and a favorite of intelligent men everywhere, the

May the Most Venerable H. L. Mencken bless our unworthy but earnest attempts at tongue in cheek jocularity.

All this and more always keeping our major focus on “Why so fat?” Enough said? We at “The Fat Bastard Gazette” think so. If you like what you read, and you know whom you are, in this yellow blog, tell your friends. We would be elated with an ever-wider readership. We remain cordially yours, Captain Hank Quinlan and the Monkeys in the back room

“The Fat Bastard Gazette” does not purport to offer any definitive medical or pharmaceutical advice whatsoever in any explicit or implied manner. Always consult a qualified physician in all medical or pharmaceutical matters. “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is only the opinion of informed nonprofessionals for the general edification and entertainment of the greater public.

No similarities to any existing names or characters are expressed or implied. We reserve the right to offend or support anybody, anything, or any sacred totem across the globe.

Like this:

A recent study has generated the most conclusive evidence to date that people ingest more food or nonalcoholic drinks when offered larger size portions. They also consume more food when they use larger items of tableware. “The research, carried out by the University of Cambridge and published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, suggests that eliminating larger-sized portions from the diet completely could reduce energy intake by up to 16% among UK adults or 29% among US adults” (Martinez, 2015).

Overeating intensifies the dangers of which heart disease, diabetes, and many cancers, are among the most prominent causes of ill health and premature death. Up to this point, the range to which overconsumption might be attributed to over serving of large size portions of food and drink has not been known.

As part of their well-organized review of the data, researchers at the Behavior and Health Research Unit “combined results from 61 high-quality studies, capturing data from 6,711 participants. They went on to investigate the influence of portion, package and tableware size on food consumption. These results are published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews” (Martinez, 2015).

Correct portion size and proper amount of the different food groups

The data presents people repeatedly consuming more food and drink when offered larger size portions, packages or tableware then when offered smaller size portions. This data implies that sustained smaller size portions across the whole diet could decrease average daily energy consumed from food “by 12% to 16% among adults in the UK (equivalent of up to 279 kcal per day) or by 22% to 29% among US adults (equivalent of up to 527 kcal per day) (Martinez, 2015). The researchers did not find a large variant between men and women, people’s body mass index, propensity to hunger, or tendency to control intentionally their eating behavior.

Dr. Gareth Hollands from the Behavior and Health Research Unit, University of Cambridge

Dr. Gareth Hollands from the Behavior and Health Research Unit, who co-led the review, says: “It may seem obvious that the larger the portion size, the more people eat, but until this systematic review the evidence for this effect has been fragmented, so the overall picture has, until now, been unclear. There has also been a tendency to portray personal characteristics like being overweight or a lack of self-control as the main reason people overeat.

In fact, the situation is far more complex. Our findings highlight the important role of environmental influences on food consumption. Helping people to avoid ‘overserving’ themselves or others with larger portions of food or drink by reducing their size, availability and appeal in shops, restaurants and in the home, is likely to be a good way of helping lots of people to reduce their risk of overeating.”

However, Hollands et al. caution that large decreases are needed to realize the changes in food consumption suggested by their findings. In addition, the study does not positively establish whether decreasing portions at the smaller end of the size range can be as effective in reducing food consumption as reductions at the larger end of the range. There is also a lack of evidence to support whether individuals will sustain decreased consumption of food and drink or just buy more of the smaller portion sizes.

Hollands et al. focus on a list of possible actions that could be taken to reduce the size, access, or appeal of larger-sized portions, packages, and tableware, including:

Move larger portion sizes farther away in supermarkets making them less assessable to customers

Marking single portion sizes in packaging through wrapping or marking on the container.

However, as Dr. Hollands says: “With the notable exception of directly controlling the sizes of the foods people consume, reliable evidence as to the effectiveness of specific actions to reduce the size, availability or appeal of larger-sized food portions is currently lacking and urgently needed.”

Implement a reduction of coupons and promotions on larger portion and package sizes.

The researchers imply that some of the bulleted actions to limit portion size will require regulation or legislation, urged on by a demand from the public for changes to the present food climate.

Dr. Ian Shemilt, University of Cambridge, who co-led the review

“At the moment, it is all too easy – and often better value for money – for us to eat or drink too much,” said Ian Shemilt, who co-led the review. “The evidence is compelling now that actions that reduce the size, availability, and appeal of large servings can make a difference to the amounts people eat and drink, and we hope that our findings will provide fresh impetus for discussions on how this can be achieved in a range of public sector and commercial settings.”

Dear readers, if you have read this far, the Captain would be most heartened if you would rate this and future articles and/or leave a comment at the top of the blog posts whether positive or negative. In this way, “The Fat Bastard Gazette” may better serve you and our entire readership.

Dear Hail-Fellows well met, “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is written and edited by your favorite curmudgeons Captain Hank Quinlan and

Flatfoot Willie, Correspondent at Large with fellow Staff Writers

Staff (monkeys in the back room). We offer an ongoing tirade to support or offend anyone of any large dimension, cultural background, religious affiliation, or color of skin. This gazette rails against an eclectic mix of circus ring ne’er do wells, big ring fatty and fatso whiners, congenital idiots, the usual motley assortment of the profoundly dumbfounded, and a favorite of intelligent men everywhere, the

May the Most Venerable H. L. Mencken bless our unworthy but earnest attempts at tongue in cheek jocularity.

All this and more always keeping our major focus on “Why so fat?” Enough said? We at “The Fat Bastard Gazette” think so. If you like what you read, and you know whom you are, in this yellow blog, tell your friends. We would be elated with an ever-wider readership. We remain cordially yours, Captain Hank Quinlan and the Monkeys in the back room

“The Fat Bastard Gazette” does not purport to offer any definitive medical or pharmaceutical advice whatsoever in any explicit or implied manner. Always consult a qualified physician in all medical or pharmaceutical matters. “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is only the opinion of informed nonprofessionals for the general edification and entertainment of the greater public.

No similarities to any existing names or characters are expressed or implied. We reserve the right to offend or support anybody, anything, or any sacred totem across the globe.

“We showed that the amount of food intake increased in animals that had high levels of dietary iron,” said Don McClain, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Center on Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism at Wake Forest Baptist and senior author of the study. “In people, high iron, even in the high-normal range, has been implicated as a contributing factor to many diseases, including diabetes, fatty liver disease and Alzheimer’s, so this is yet another reason not to eat so much red meat because the iron in red meat is more readily absorbed than iron from plants.”

In this study, male mice fed high amounts of iron (2000 mg per kilogram) and low normal amounts of iron (35 mg per kilogram) for two months were measured for levels of iron and fat tissue. The researchers noticed a 115% increase of iron in the mice fed a high iron diet as compared to the mice fed the low normal diet. Leptin levels can the blood were 42% lower in mice on the high iron diet compared to those on the low normal diet.

Results from the animal model were corroborated through blood tests from 76 human participants in a previous clinical study. Ferritin blood tests measure the amount of iron stored in the body.

McClain et al. demonstrated that fat tissue reacts to iron to adjust the availability of the amount of leptin, a major regulator of appetite, energy consumption, and metabolism.

“We don’t know yet what optimal iron tissue level is, but we are hoping to do a large clinical trial to determine if decreasing iron levels have any effect on weight and diabetes risk,” McClain said. “The better we understand how iron works in the body, the better chance we have of finding new pathways that may be targeted for the prevention and treatment of diabetes and other diseases.”

Dear readers, if you have read this far, the Captain would be most heartened if you would rate this and future articles and/or leave a comment at the top of the blog posts whether positive or negative. In this way, “The Fat Bastard Gazette” may better serve you and our entire readership.

The Research Service of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the national Institutes of Health provided funding for the study. This study was conducted at the University of Utah before McClain joined Wake Forest Baptist.

Dear Hail-Fellows well met, “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is written and edited by your favorite curmudgeons Captain Hank Quinlan and

Flatfoot Willie, Correspondent at Large with fellow Staff Writers

Staff (monkeys in the back room). We offer an ongoing tirade to support or offend anyone of any large dimension, cultural background, religious affiliation, or color of skin. This gazette rails against an eclectic mix of circus ring ne’er do wells, big ring fatty and fatso whiners, congenital idiots, the usual motley assortment of the profoundly dumbfounded, and a favorite of intelligent men everywhere, the

May the Most Venerable H. L. Mencken bless our unworthy but earnest attempts at tongue in cheek jocularity.

All this and more always keeping our major focus on “Why so fat?” Enough said? We at “The Fat Bastard Gazette” think so. If you like what you read, and you know whom you are, in this yellow blog, tell your friends. We would be elated with an ever-wider readership. We remain cordially yours, Captain Hank Quinlan and the Monkeys in the back room

“The Fat Bastard Gazette” does not purport to offer any definitive medical or pharmaceutical advice whatsoever in any explicit or implied manner. Always consult a qualified physician in all medical or pharmaceutical matters. “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is only the opinion of informed nonprofessionals for the general edification and entertainment of the greater public.

No similarities to any existing names or characters are expressed or implied. We reserve the right to offend or support anybody, anything, or any sacred totem across the globe.

Like this:

About 79 million adults in the United States now suffer from obesity, a number that will stay unacceptably high unless there is a radical change in both the U.S. health care system and the environment, states an analysis published in September 2015 issue of Health Affairs.

“This public health crisis calls for a transformation in the way we handle obesity, a chronic disorder that is fueling high rates of diabetes, heart disease and cancer in the United States,” says lead author William H. Dietz, MD, PhD, director of the Sumner M. Redstone Global Center for Prevention and Wellness at Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University. “We propose a new model for the prevention and treatment of obesity, one that integrates health care in the clinic with resources in the community that make it easier for people to prevent unhealthy weight gain or lose weight and keep it off.”

William H. Dietz, MD, Ph.D., director of the Sumner M. Redstone Global Center for Prevention and Wellness at Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University

Dietz et al., which include representation from leading U.S., managed healthcare organizations such as Kaiser Permanente and Health Partners, explain that the Affordable Care Act (ACA), with its emphasis on prevention, provides support for this new paradigm. The authors also note that there will be challenges to implementing a combined framework, “including the need for incentives so that health care systems go beyond the clinic doors to link up with resources for fighting obesity in the neighborhoods where people actually live. Community resources include safe places for people to exercise and stores or farmers markets where they can purchase healthy foods.” (Fackelmann, 2015)

The new model proposed by Dietz and his colleagues includes:

A system that is centered on individual patients and family engagement; the authors note that successful models of obesity treatment often require behavioral changes such as preparing nutritious foods or increasing physical activity—and families play a key role in these efforts.

Restructured clinical services by providers who are sensitive to the stigmatization of people with obesity: doctors and other health professionals also need to learn behavioral strategies that can motivate patients to consume a diet that is more healthful and start on an exercise routine.

Better integration between clinical services and community systems that can make it easier for patients to lose or maintain their weight; for example, partnerships between the clinic and the YMCA or other community-based resources can often provide patients with a structured way to get regular exercise or nutrition counseling.

Dietz et al. suggest numerous policy changes to move the new paradigm for obesity from concept to concrete action. “On the clinical side they suggest that the training for health professionals must include behavior change strategies and up-to-date information about new ways to treat obesity, which is a complex biological condition. And they also note that better integration of clinical and community services will likely require negotiations and written agreements between groups that are not used to working together.” (Fackelmann, 2015)

Other policy changes include new ways of payment and reward quality of care; increased participation of hospitals, health plans and individual clinicians in supporting environmental and social norm changes that can help patients lose weight. The creation of a standardized set of guidelines that can be used to evaluate the new model and innovative approaches to teaching a disparate group of professionals to work together in new and more effective ways.

In conclusion, Dietz et al. realize the challenges to achieving their goal of the new model for obesity may be daunting. They believe that the roadblocks can be overcome with novel programs and public health leaders willing to rally for changes that call for immediate action to deal with this serious public health problem.

Dear readers, if you have read this far, the Captain would be most heartened if you would rate this and future articles and/or leave a comment at the top of the blog posts whether positive or negative. In this way, “The Fat Bastard Gazette” may better serve you and our entire readership.

Dear Hail-Fellows well met, “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is written and edited by your favorite curmudgeons Captain Hank Quinlan and

Flatfoot Willie, Correspondent at Large with fellow Staff Writers

Staff (monkeys in the back room). We offer an ongoing tirade to support or offend anyone of any large dimension, cultural background, religious affiliation, or color of skin. This gazette rails against an eclectic mix of circus ring ne’er do wells, big ring fatty and fatso whiners, congenital idiots, the usual motley assortment of the profoundly dumbfounded, and a favorite of intelligent men everywhere, the

May the Most Venerable H. L. Mencken bless our unworthy but earnest attempts at tongue in cheek jocularity.

All this and more always keeping our major focus on “Why so fat?” Enough said? We at “The Fat Bastard Gazette” think so. If you like what you read, and you know whom you are, in this yellow blog, tell your friends. We would be elated with an ever-wider readership. We remain cordially yours, Captain Hank Quinlan and the Monkeys in the back room

“The Fat Bastard Gazette” does not purport to offer any definitive medical or pharmaceutical advice whatsoever in any explicit or implied manner. Always consult a qualified physician in all medical or pharmaceutical matters. “The Fat Bastard Gazette” is only the opinion of informed nonprofessionals for the general edification and entertainment of the greater public.

No similarities to any existing names or characters are expressed or implied. We reserve the right to offend or support anybody, anything, or any sacred totem across the globe.